Asda is bidding to help customers shed pounds from their waistline as well as their shopping bill through a new functional fitness concept.

Health Club Management can exclusively reveal that the supermarket giant is planning to partner with gym operator Total Fitness for the venture, with concept drawings suggesting the proposition will be entirely class-based.

The first site is expected to open in Swindon, while Health Club Management understands that up to 20 studios could be rolled out nationwide – in or near existing stores – depending on the concept’s success.

Asda won planning permission for the first gym in Swindon in December, having quietly tabled an application to convert a former Blockbusters video store near to its Asda West Swindon Superstore.

“Total Fitness Health Clubs Ltd have been selected as the operator of the site, and will provide a fitness studio offering high quality fitness classes in an easily accessible District Centre location,” read the application to Swindon Borough Council.

“The new facility will operate an affordable, pay and play gym, with the intention of making the fitness facility more accessible to a wider range of local resident.”

Having launched a range of affordable workout gear earlier this year, Asda could follow in the footsteps of Sports Direct Fitness, which has cross-marketed to an already-captive audience by combining gym and retail outlets in single locations.

Asda’s arrival in the health club market is the latest example of supermarkets seeking to embed gyms in surplus store space. Tesco previously paired up with Xercise4Less to offer an in-store gym, and later provided a community yoga space at the Tesco Extra store in Watford, while other supermarket chains have also been rumoured to be exploring in-store fitness concepts.

Asda’s planning application says the Total Fitness-operated gym will offer “group-based fitness classes, as opposed to more traditional gym formats.” Total Fitness, which operates 17 fitness and leisure clubs across the North of England, is evidently an attractive prospect as it was recently subject to a management buyout, backed by an £11.5m investment from private equity firm NorthEdge Capital. The gym operator refused to comment on the partnership with Asda.

An Asda spokesperson confirmed plans for a one-store trial in Swindon as an extension of its health and wellness offer, but said: “Unfortunately there is not much else to say at this stage, as it’s still subject to planning and contract negotiations.”